The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is a leadership training that takes place annually in Ghana, and it brings together nine west African countries including the Gambia. In the cohort 15 training held in 2020, one of the participants from the Gambia was allegedly raped by another participant from Sierra Leon.
The victim said being raped is one of the most painful things she has gone through. The guy that raped me looked like a really nice person, so when he asked to use her bathroom because he’s was not working, she did not think twice before she said yes. She also said that on that night, she took pain medication called Tramadol which makes one sleep longer hours as well. After the alleged perpetrator finished using her bathroom around 11 pm, he stayed and tried chatting with her. she said she was feeling drowsy from the medicine but was too shy to tell him to leave and ended up felling asleep. she woke up to a sharp pain and realized that he raped her.
According to Unstats.un.org, approximately 30% of women worldwide have experienced sexual harassment in their life time. in most countries with data available on rape Gambia included, 40% of women who experience sexual violence seek help. less than 10% seek assistance from law enforcement and this is why there is need to speak up.
For more information about rape, check the video below
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